KR20160007618A - Absorbent article and absorbent core forming channels when wet - Google Patents

Abstract

The absorbent article 20 for personal hygiene includes a liquid permeable topsheet 24, a liquid impervious backsheet 25, an absorbent core 28, and a fibrous layer 54. The absorbent core comprises an absorbent material 60 having a core wrap and superabsorbent polymer (SAP). The core wrap includes a top surface 16 and a bottom surface 16 'that are joined together through one or more regions (s) 26 that are substantially absent of the absorbent material 60. The fibrous layer 54 is at least partially bonded to one of the faces of the core wrap in region (s) 26 that are substantially free of absorbent material. When the absorbent material is swollen, the core wrap forms one or more channel (s) 26 'along region (s) 26 that are substantially absorptive material free. The formation of channel (s) 26 'in the absorbent core results in the formation of one or more corresponding channels 29 in the fibrous layer. The core wrap joint 27 may be designed to be demineralized in a controllable manner when loaded with fluid. An absorbent core 28 having such delamination properties is also claimed.

Description

ABSORBENT ARTICLE AND ABSORBENT CORE FORMING CHANNELS WHEN WET < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The present invention provides absorbent articles for personal hygiene, such as but not limited to infant diapers, pantyhose, feminine hygiene sanitary napkins or adult incontinence products.

Personal hygiene absorbent articles such as disposable infant diapers, infant training pants or adult incontinence underwear are designed to absorb and contain body exudates, particularly large amounts of urine. These absorbent articles include several layers that provide different functions, such as, among other layers, a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core therebetween.

The function of the absorbent core is usually to absorb and retain exudates for extended periods of time, to minimize rewet to keep the wearer dry and to prevent contamination of the clothes or bed sheets. Most of the currently available absorbent articles include a blend of comminuted wood pulp with a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) in particulate form, also referred to as an absorbent gelling material (AGM), as an absorbent material. For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,151,092 (Buell). An absorbent article having a core (so-called "airfelt-free" core) consisting essentially of SAP as the absorbent material has also been proposed (see, for example, International Application Publication No. WO 2008/155699 (Hundorf) , International Application WO95 / 11652 (Tanzer), International Application WO2012 / 052172 (Van Malderen)). An absorbent core having a slit or groove has also been proposed, typically to increase the fluid acquisition properties of the core or to act as a folding guide. International Publication No. WO2009 / 047596 (Wright) discloses an absorbent article having a slit absorbent core.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/220541 (Suzuki) discloses an absorbent sheet that naturally exhibits a three-dimensional structure in that a concave-convex structure is formed with a concave portion and a convex portion on the surface thereof. U.S. Patent Application 2007/244455 (Hansson) discloses an absorbent core that extends substantially longitudinally in the crotch region and has a central portion and two lateral portions when seen at least in part in the crotch region of the absorbent core, And at least two folding guides for dividing the absorbent core into two parts. At least two stretchable crotch elastic members are arranged in the crotch portion of the article and are attached to the absorbent core and / or to the inner or outer cover.

It is also known to provide a sub-layer between the topsheet and the absorbent core, typically a non-woven fabric. These sub-layers are designed to rapidly acquire and / or distribute fluids away from the topsheet and into the core. These sub-layers are sometimes referred to as "wicking layer", "surge layer", "acquisition layer" or "distribution layer". Articles having only one of these sub-layers are known. A single sub-layer is disclosed, for example, in International Application Publication No. WO94 / 23761 (Payne), which discloses an acquisition layer comprising a homogeneous composition of a hydrophilic fibrous material and an acquisition layer comprising a hydrophilic fibrous material and a dispersed A storage layer comprising a mixture of particles is disclosed. The acquisition layer has an acquisition region toward the front of the article having a relatively lower average density and a relatively lower average basis weight than the distribution zone towards the rear of the article. Other examples of sub-layers with a single layer can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,486,166 and U.S. Patent No. 5,490,846 (Bishop).

U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0312621 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0312622 (Hunford) disclose a chassis comprising a topsheet and a backsheet, a topsheet positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet, Comprising a substantially cellulose-free absorbent core having a wearer facing surface and an opposite garment facing surface oriented toward the wearer, and a chemically cross-linked cellulosic fiber disposed between the wearer facing surfaces of the liquid permeable topsheet and the absorbent core. Quot; liquid acquisition system ". The liquid acquisition system may also include an upper acquisition layer made of a latex bonded nonwoven fabric.

International Patent Application WO2012 / 170778 (Rosati et al., International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 170779, International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 170781 and International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 170808 also see) discloses a superabsorbent polymer, And at least a pair of substantially longitudinally extending channels. A core wrap may be adhesively bonded through the channel to form a channel joint. The channel joints can be permanent so that their integrity is maintained at least partially in both the dry and wet states. As the absorbing structure is swollen by absorbing the liquid, the absorbing structure takes a three-dimensional shape with the channel becoming visible. The channels provide improved fit and / or liquid acquisition / transport, and / or improved performance throughout the use of the absorbent structure.

In a first aspect of the present invention we have now found that the formation of a three dimensional channel in a wet absorbent core helps to form a three dimensional channel in the fibrous structure disposed between the topsheet and the top surface of the absorbent core I can see that it can be. The fibrous structure may be, for example, an acquisition and / or distribution layer. The channels in the fibrous layer can provide benefits in terms of fluid acquisition and distribution. In a second aspect, the present invention relates to an absorbent core comprising a core wrap joint which can be used in the article of the present invention and which provides an additional swell space for the absorbent material that is gradually opened to swell as the absorbent core is swollen will be.

The present invention, in a first aspect, relates to an absorbent article for personal hygiene as shown in the claims. The absorbent article includes a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet, and an absorbent core between the topsheet and the backsheet. The absorbent core includes a core wrap enclosing the absorbent material and including a top surface and a bottom surface. The absorbent material comprises a superabsorbent polymer. The absorbent core comprises at least one region (s) substantially free of absorbent material. The top surface of the core wrap is attached to the bottom surface of the core wrap through one or more regions (s) substantially free of absorbent material such that when the absorbent material is swollen, the core wrap forms one or more channel (s) The above channel (s) may serve to distribute the insulting fluid along the length of the channel. The absorbent article further comprises a fibrous layer at least partially bonded to the top or bottom surface of the core wrap in one or more regions (s) substantially free of absorbent material. The formation of channels in the absorbent core as the absorbent material swells results in the formation of one or more corresponding channels in the fibrous layer.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to an absorbent core as described above and which can be used in any absorbent article. The core wrap joint between the top and bottom surfaces of the core wrap is opened in a controlled manner during use so that the absorbent core is bonded to the core wrap at a temperature of 37 < RTI ID = 0.0 > When immersed in saline:

- Less than 1/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 10 minutes;

- 1/3 to 2/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 20 minutes;

- At least two thirds of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 60 minutes.

The first and second aspects of the present invention can be used independently of each other or can be combined.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention in the form of a diaper before use, with some of the layers partially removed.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 1 at the crotch point (C).
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 taken at the same point as Fig. 2, with channels and channels formed as a result of the diaper being loaded with fluid;
Figure 4 is a top view of the absorbent core of Figure 1, with the top surface layer partially removed.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the core of Figure 4 at the crotch point.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the absorbent core of Figure 4;
Figure 7 is a simplified plan view of one embodiment showing the bonding area between the core wraps and the fibrous layer covering substantially the entire bottom surface of the fibrous layer.
Figure 8 shows an alternate bonding region comprising two longitudinally extending regions with non-bonding regions within the central region of the fibrous layer.
9 is an illustration showing an alternative where the fibrous layer is bonded to the core wrap in a region substantially corresponding to a region substantially absent of the absorbent material.
Figure 10 shows an alternative where the area of attachment of the fibrous layer is smaller than the fibrous layer.
Figure 11 shows an alternative bonding area where the fibrous layer is bonded to the core wrap along a transverse stripe.
12 illustrates an embodiment as in FIG. 7, further illustrating a possible application pattern for an adhesive that attaches the topsheet to the underlying layer; FIG.
Figure 13 shows an embodiment as in Figure 8, further illustrating an alternative application pattern for adhesive to the topsheet for the underlying layer.
14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary article in a dry state, including an acquisition layer in addition to the fibrous layer.
15 is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Fig. 14, when the article is wetted and the channel is formed in the core and the channel is formed in another layer of the absorbent article.
16 is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to previous Figs. 14 and 15, in which the core wrap joint is demineralized; Fig.

Introduction

As used herein, the term " absorbent article for personal hygiene "refers to an absorbent article which absorbs and contains exudates discharged from the body, placed against or in proximity to the body of the wearer, such as infant diapers, infant training pants, Or feminine hygiene sanitary napkin, and the like. The absorbent article of the present invention will also be illustrated in the following description and drawings in the form of a taped diaper. However, nothing in this description should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims unless expressly specified otherwise.

"Nonwoven web" as used herein refers to a nonwoven web that is formed by incorporating woven, knitted, tufted, binding yarns or filaments into a stitch- except for products and paper felted by wet-milling irrespective of whether the article is stitch-bonded or additional needled, Web, or bat made of fibers oriented, oriented, or randomly oriented, bonded by, for example, < RTI ID = 0.0 > The fibers can be of natural or synthetic origin, can be staples or continuous filaments, or can be formed in situ. The fibers available for purchase have diameters ranging from less than about 0.001 mm to more than about 0.2 mm, which may be short fibers (known as staples or chopped), continuous single fibers (filaments or monofilaments), bit- Such as an untwisted bundle (tow), and a twisted bundle (yarn) of continuous filaments. The nonwoven web can be formed by many processes such as meltblowing, spunbonding, solvent spinning, electrospinning, carding and airlaying. The basis weight of the nonwoven web is usually expressed in grams per square meter (g / m ² or gsm).

The term "coupled " or" bonded "or" attached "as used herein refers to a configuration in which one element is directly secured to another element by directly attaching one element to another element, Includes an arrangement in which one element is indirectly fixed to another element by attaching the element to the intermediate member (s) and then attaching the element to the other element (s).

&Quot; including, "" comprising, " and" comprising "each refer to one or more of the following, e.g., to specify the presence of a given element but not to deny the presence of other features known in the art or disclosed herein, It is an open ended term that does not exclude existence. These terms based on the verb "comprise" are intended to encompass the narrower term "consisting of" excluding any element, step, or component that is not explicitly stated, Should be understood to include the term "consisting essentially of" which does not specifically affect the manner in which the function is performed. Any preferred or exemplary embodiment described below does not limit the scope of the claims unless explicitly so indicated. The words "typically "," ordinary ", "advantageously ", and the like also define elements that are not intended to limit the scope of the claims, unless expressly so indicated.

General description of absorbent articles

An exemplary absorbent article in accordance with the present invention in the form of a diaper 20 is shown in Figures 1-3. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary diaper 20 in a flattened unfolded state, wherein a portion of the structure is cut away to show the configuration of the diaper 20 more clearly. The diaper 20 is shown for illustrative purposes only because the present invention can be used to make a wide variety of diapers or other absorbent articles.

The absorbent article includes a liquid permeable topsheet 24, a liquid impervious backsheet 25, an absorbent core 28 between the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 25, and a fibrous layer 54.

Figure 1 also shows a fastening system comprising an adhesive tab 42 attached to the rear edge of the article and interacting with a landing zone 44 on the front of the article, Other typical tapes, such as a barrier leg cuff 34 and an elasticized gasketing cuff 32 joined through a sheet and / or back sheet and substantially planar with the chassis of the diaper, Type diaper component. The absorbent article may also include other unexpressed elements, such as a rear elastic waist feature, a front elastic waist feature, a transverse barrier cuff (s), a lotion application, and the like.

The absorbent article 20 includes a front edge 10, a rear edge 12, and two sides (longitudinal edges) 13,14. The front edge 10 of the article is an edge intended to be positioned towards the front of the user when worn and the rear edge 12 is the opposite edge of the article. The absorbent article can be conceptually divided by its longitudinal axis 80, which extends from the front edge to the rear edge of the article, and the article is placed flat as in FIG. 1, Into two substantially symmetrical halves. The length L of the article can be measured from the front edge 10 to the rear edge 12 along the longitudinal axis 80. The article includes a crotch point C defined herein as a point located on the longitudinal axis at a distance of 2/5 of L starting from the front edge 10 of the article 20. [ The width of the article for the diaper application at the crotch point may in particular be between 50 mm and 300 mm, or between 80 mm and 250 mm. For adult incontinence products, the width can reach up to 450 mm.

The crotch region is defined as the area of the diaper centered in the longitudinal direction at the crotch point (C) and extending a distance of 1/5 (L / 5) of L in each direction toward the front and back of the absorbent article . The front region and the rear region can be defined as the rest of the diaper, which is disposed toward the front and rear edges of the article, respectively.

The topsheet 24, the backsheet 25, the absorbent core 28, and other components can be assembled in a variety of well known configurations, particularly by adhesive or thermal embossing. Exemplary diaper configurations are generally described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,860,003, 5,221,274, 5,554,145, 5,569,234, 5,580,411, and 6,004,306. The absorbent article is preferably thin. The caliper at the crotch point (C) of the article may be between 3.0 mm and 12.0 mm, especially between 4.0 mm and 10.0 mm, as measured, for example, by the Absorbent Article Caliper Test described herein mm.

An exemplary absorbent core 28, represented separately in Fig. 4, includes a core wrap that encapsulates an absorbent material and an absorbent material. The core wraps may typically include two substrates 16, 16 'for the top and bottom surfaces of the core, respectively. The absorbent core further includes one or more region (s) 26 that are substantially free of absorbent material surrounded by the absorbent material (in a plane formed by the absorbent core). The top surface of the core wrap is attached to the bottom surface of the core wrap by one or more core wrap joint (s) 27 through one or more regions (s) 26 that are substantially absorptive of the absorbent material such that the absorbent material is swollen The absorbent core forms one or more channel (s) 26 'within the region (s) 26 along the core wrap joint 27. These channels can serve to distribute the discharge fluid along the length of the channel.

The absorbent article further comprises a fibrous layer (54) between the topsheet and the absorbent core. The fibrous layer is at least partially bonded to the top surface of the core wrap in region (s) 26 that is substantially free of absorbent material. The bonding of the fibrous layer to the upper surface of the core wraps in the region (s) 26 substantially absorptive material-free can be achieved by providing one or more corresponding Thereby causing the formation of the channel 29. These and other components of the article will now be discussed in greater detail.

The top sheet (24)

The topsheet 24 is the portion of the absorbent article that is in direct contact with the skin of the wearer. The topsheet 24 may be bonded to the backsheet 25, the core 28, and / or any other layer known in the art. Generally, the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 25 may be directly bonded to each other on or near the periphery of the article and may be joined together indirectly at other locations by bonding them directly to one or more other elements of the article 20. [ do. The topsheet can be attached to the underlying layer, which can be another layer, such as fibrous layer 54 or acquisition layer 52, by any conventional means, particularly adhesive, mechanical or thermal bonding, and combinations thereof. The topsheet can be attached directly or indirectly to the fibrous layer 54 in the region in which the channel of the fibrous layer is formed, as illustrated, for example, in Figs. 3 and 14 in particular. This may provide or assist in the formation of a secondary waterway at the surface of the article.

Preferably, the topsheet 24 is flexible, has a soft feel, and is non-irritating to the wearer's skin. Also, at least a portion of the topsheet 24 is liquid permeable, allowing liquid to easily pass through its thickness. Suitable topsheets include, but are not limited to, porous foams, reticulated foams, apertured plastic films, or natural fibers such as wood or cotton fibers, synthetic fibers or filaments such as polyester or polypropylene or bicomponent PE / Mixtures thereof) or woven or non-woven materials of a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. When the topsheet comprises fibers, the fibers may be spunbond, carded, wet-laid, meltblown, hydroentangled, It may be a spunbond PP nonwoven fabric treated differently as known, in particular. A suitable topsheet comprising a web of staple-length polypropylene fibers is available from Veratec, Inc., Division of International Paper Company, Walpole, Mass., USA, P-8.

A suitably formed film topsheet is also described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,929,135, 4,324,246, 4,342,314, 4,463,045, and 5,006,394. Other suitable topsheets may be prepared according to U.S. Patent Nos. 4,609,518 and 4,629,643 to Curro et al. The film thus formed is commercially available from " DRI-WEAVE "from The Procter & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, Ohio and from Tredegar Corporation of Richmond, Va. "

Any portion of the topsheet 24 may be coated with a lotion as is known in the art. Examples of suitable lotions include those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,607,760, 5,609,587, 5,635, 5,643,588, 5,968,025, and 6,716,441. The topsheet 24 may also include or be treated with an antimicrobial agent, some examples of which are disclosed in PCT Publication No. WO95 / 24173. In addition, the topsheet 24, backsheet 25, or any portion of the topsheet or backsheet may be embossed and / or matte finished to provide a more textile-like appearance.

The topsheet 24 may include one or more openings through which exudates, such as urine and / or excreta (solid, semi-solid, or liquid), are easily passed therethrough. At least the size of the major opening is important to achieve the desired fecal bag performance. If the main opening is too small, the excrement may not pass through the opening due to insufficient alignment of the excrement source with the opening position, or due to the excrement mass having a larger diameter than the opening. If the opening is too large, the area of the skin that can be contaminated by "rewet" from the article is increased. Typically, the total area of the openings at the surface of the diaper may have an area of from about 10 cm 2 to about 50 cm 2, particularly about 15 cm 2 to 35 cm 2. An example of an apertured topsheet is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,632,504 to BBA NONWOVENS SIMPSONVILLE. International Patent Application WO2011 / 163582 also discloses a suitable colored topsheet having a basis weight of 12 to 18 gsm and comprising a plurality of bonding points. Each junction point has a surface area of 2 mm 2 to 5 mm 2 and the cumulative surface area of the plurality of junction points is 10 to 25% of the total surface area of the top sheet.

A typical diaper topsheet has a basis weight of from about 10 to about 28 gsm, especially from about 12 to about 18 gsm, but other basis weights are possible.

Back sheet (25)

The backsheet 25 is such a portion of the absorbent article 20 that generally forms the majority of the outer surface of the article when worn by a user. The backsheet is positioned toward the bottom surface of the absorbent core so that the exudate contained and contained therein prevents contamination of articles such as bed sheets and undergarments. The backsheet 25 is typically impermeable to liquids (e.g., urine). The backsheet may be, for example, a thin plastic film, such as a thermoplastic film having a thickness of from about 0.012 mm to about 0.051 mm. Exemplary backsheet films include those manufactured by Tredegar Corporation of Richmond, Va. And sold under the trademark CPC2 film. Other suitable backsheet materials may include a breathable material that allows steam to escape from the diaper 20 but still prevents exudates from passing through the backsheet 25. [ Exemplary breathable materials include composite materials such as woven webs, nonwoven webs, film-coated nonwoven webs, those made by Mitsui Toatsu Co. of Japan under the designation ESPOIR NO, Microporous films such as those sold under the name EXAIRE by the Tredeger Corporation of America, and monoliths such as those manufactured by the Clopay Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio, under the designation HYTREL blend P18-3097 And may include materials such as monolithic films. Some of the breathable composites have this. children. U.S. Patent No. 5,938,648 to LaVon et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,681,793 to Linman et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,681,793 to U. S. Pat. U.S. Patent No. 5,865,823, and Dobrin et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,571,096, and London Brown, U.S. Patent No. 6,946,585 B2.

The backsheet 25 may be joined to the topsheet 24, the absorbent core 28 or any other element of the diaper 20 by any attachment means known in the art. Suitable attachment means are described above with respect to means for coupling the topsheet 24 to other elements of the article 20. For example, the attachment means may comprise a uniform continuous layer of adhesive, a patterned layer of adhesive, or an array of individual lines, spirals, or spots of adhesive. Suitable attachment means include an open pattern network of filaments of adhesive as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,573,986. Other suitable attachment means include several lines of adhesive filaments pivoted in a helical pattern, as exemplified by the apparatus and methods shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,911,173, 4,785,996, and 4,842,666 do. Adhesives that have been found to be satisfactory are available from Hewlett-Packard, St. Paul, Minn. ratio. Manufactured by H. B. Fuller Company and marketed as HL-1620 and HL 1358-XZP. Alternatively, the attachment means can include thermal bonding, pressure bonding, ultrasonic bonding, dynamic mechanical bonding, or any other suitable attachment means as known in the art, or a combination of these attachment means.

The absorbent core (28)

The absorbent core is typically a component of an article having a maximum absorbent capacity. The absorbent core includes a core wrap, an absorbent material and optionally an adhesive that is enclosed within the core wrap. The absorbent material comprises a superabsorbent polymer (abbreviated herein as "SAP"), and in particular the absorbent material of the present invention may comprise an absorbent material having a large amount of superabsorbent polymer encapsulated within the coreabs. The SAP content can be expressed as 40% or more (especially 60% or more, or 80% or more) based on the weight of the absorbent material contained within the core wrap. The absorbent core may be air-free. The core wrap is not considered as an absorbent material for the purpose of evaluating the percentage of SAP in the absorbent core.

By "absorbent material" is meant a material having certain absorbency or liquid retention properties, such as SAP, cellulosic fibers and synthetic fibers. Typically, the adhesive used to make the absorbent core does not have absorbency characteristics and is not considered as an absorbent material. The SAP content can be greater than 80%, such as greater than 85%, greater than 90%, greater than 95%, and even less than 100% of the weight of the absorbent material contained within the core wrap. Which typically provides a relatively thin core compared to conventional cores comprising 40 to 60% SAP and high content of cellulose fibers. The absorbent material may in particular contain less than 10% by weight of natural or synthetic fibers, or less than 5% by weight, or may even be substantially free of natural and / or synthetic fibers. The absorbent material may advantageously contain little or no air-felt (cellulosic) fibers, and in particular the absorbent core may comprise less than 15%, 10%, less than 5% air-felt (cellulosic) fibers Or even substantially free of cellulosic fibers.

Cores containing a relatively large amount of SAP with a variety of core designs have been previously proposed and have been previously proposed and are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5,599,335 (Goldman), European Patent EP 1,447,066 (Busam) (International Patent Application Publication No. WO95 / 11652 (Anzan), U.S. Patent Application No. 2008 / 0312622A1 (Hundorf), International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 052172 (van derren), and International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 170778 (Rossi et al. / 170779, International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 170781, and International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 1708008). The absorbent core may be thin and may have a thickness of, for example, 1 to 4 mm, which does not exceed 5 mm, as measured, for example, by the Dry Absorbent Core Caliper Test described herein.

The absorbent core 28 of the absorbent article of Figure 1 is shown separately in Figures 4-6. The illustrated absorbent core and its description are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. The absorbent core typically includes a front side portion 280, a back side portion 282 and two longitudinal side portions 284 and 286 that engage the front side portion 280 and the back side portion 282. The absorbent core also includes a generally planar top surface formed by the core wrap and a generally planar bottom surface. The front side 280 of the core is the side of the core that is disposed toward the front edge 10 of the absorbent article. The core may have a longitudinal axis 80 'substantially corresponding to the longitudinal axis 80 of the article when viewed from the top in plan view as in FIG. Typically, the absorbent material will advantageously be distributed in greater amounts toward the front side than toward the back side, since greater absorbency is required forward. Typically, the front and back sides of the core are shorter than the longitudinal sides of the core. The core wrap may be formed by two nonwoven materials 16, 16 'that may be at least partially sealed along the sides of the absorbent core. The first nonwoven fabric may form substantially the entirety of the upper surface of the core wrap and the second nonwoven fabric may substantially form the entirety of the bottom surface 16 'of the core wrap. The top surface and the first nonwoven fabric are represented by the same reference numeral 16 in the drawing, and the bottom surface of the second nonwoven fabric is represented by reference numeral 16 '. The core wrap may be at least partially sealed along its front side, rear side and / or two longitudinal sides to improve containment of the absorbent material during use.

The absorbent core of the present invention is particularly useful for assisting immobilization of the SAP in the core wraps, to ensure the integrity of the core wraps and / or to ensure that the bottom wraps of the core wraps through one or more area (s) May further comprise at least one adhesive to attach the top surface of the core wrap. The first type of adhesive that can be used is a so-called secondary adhesive (not shown) that can be applied on the top surface and / or the inner surface of the bottom surface of the core wrap. The secondary adhesive may be any conventional adhesive used in the art, especially a hot melt adhesive. Examples of adhesives are based on adhesive polymers such as SIS (styrene-isoprene-block copolymer), SBS (styrene-butadiene-block copolymer) or mPO (metallocene polyolefin). The adhesives may also include tackifiers, such as hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins, as well as oils and antioxidants. Hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins are prepared from a mixed aromatic / aliphatic resin which is subsequently selectively hydrogenated to produce a wide range of materials with weak color, high stability and broad compatibility. Examples of commercially available adhesives are available as HL1358LO and NW1286 (both from Hibbler) and DM 526 (from Henkel).

The secondary adhesive can be applied on the top and / or bottom side of the core wrap in an average amount ranging from 2 gsm to 20 gsm, more specifically from 4 gsm to 10 gsm. The secondary adhesive may be applied uniformly or discontinuously, in particular a series of spaced, longitudinally oriented stripes, for example a series of about 1 mm wide aids spaced from one another by a distance in the range of 1 mm to 3 mm It can be applied as an adhesive strip. The application area of the auxiliary adhesive on the top surface and / or the inner surface of the bottom surface of the core wrap corresponds to the entire deposition area 8 of the absorbent material. The secondary adhesive may help form the core wrap joint 27 when sufficient pressure is applied to the material free region 26 to attach both sides of the core wrap. The secondary adhesive layer may be applied to both the inner surface of the bottom surface of the core wrap, the inner surface of the upper surface, or both inner surfaces.

Superabsorbent polymer (SAP)

"Superabsorbent polymer" ("SAP") as used herein refers to a polymeric material, as measured using a Centrifuge Retention Capacity (CRC) test (EDANA method WSP 241.2-05E) Refers to an absorbent material that is a crosslinked polymeric material capable of absorbing at least ten times its weight. The SAP used may have a CRC value of more than 20 g / g, or more than 24 g / g, or 20 to 50 g / g, or 20 to 40 g / g, or 24 to 30 g / g. SAPs useful in the present invention include various water-insoluble but water-swellable polymers capable of absorbing large amounts of fluid.

The superabsorbent polymer may be in particulate form to be flowable in the dry state. Typically, the particulate water absorbent polymer material is made of a poly (meth) acrylic acid polymer. However, it is also possible, for example, to use starch-based particulate water absorbent polymer materials as well as polyacrylamide copolymers, ethylene maleic anhydride copolymers, crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, crosslinked polyethylene oxides, and polyacrylonitrile Of starch grafted copolymers may also be used. The superabsorbent polymers can be internally cross-linked and / or surface cross-linked polyacrylates and polyacrylic acid polymers. Suitable materials are described in PCT patent application WO07 / 047598 or, for example, International Application Publication WO07 / 046052 or International Application Publication WO2009 / 155265 and International Application Publication WO2009 / 155264, for example. In some embodiments, suitable superabsorbent polymer particles can be obtained by current state of the art manufacturing processes, as described more specifically in WO2006 / 083584. The superabsorbent polymer is preferably internally crosslinked, i.e. the polymerization is carried out in the presence of a compound having two or more polymerizable groups which can be free-radically copolymerized with the polymer network. Useful crosslinking agents are, for example, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, allyl methacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, triallylamine, as described in European Patent EP 530,438 Tetraallyloxyethane, EP 537,847, EP 559,476, EP 632,068, WO 93/21237, WO 03/104299, WO 03/104300 , Di-and triacrylates as described in WO 03/104301 and German patent DE 103 31 450, as described in DE 103 31 456 and DE 103 55 401, As well as mixed ethyl acrylate containing further ethylenically unsaturated groups, or mixtures thereof, for example as described in DE 195 43 368, DE 196 46 484, WO 90/1583 0 and crosslinking agent mixtures as described in WO 02/32962 and crosslinking agents described in WO2009 / 155265. The superabsorbent polymer particles may be externally surface crosslinked, or may be post-crosslinked. Useful post-crosslinking agents include compounds comprising two or more groups capable of forming covalent bonds with the carboxylate groups of the polymer. Useful compounds are, for example, alkoxysilyl compounds, polyaziridines, polyamines, polyamidomas, di- or polyglycines such as those described in European Patent EP083,022, European Patent EP 543303 and European Patent EP 937,736 Cydyl compounds, polyhydric alcohols as described in DE-C 33 14 019, cyclic carbonates as described in DE-A 40 20 780, DE-A 198 07 502 As described, bisoxazolidone and its derivatives such as N- (2-hydroxyethyl) -2-oxazolidone, bis- and poly-2 as described in DE-A 198 07 992 Oxazolidone, 2-oxotetrahydro-1,3-oxazine and its derivatives as described in DE-A 198 54 573, the N-oxotetrahydro-1,3-oxazines and their derivatives as described in German patent DE-A 198 54 574, -Acyl-2-oxazolidone, cyclic ureas as described in DE-A 102 04 937, DE- A 103 34 584, oxetanes and cyclic ureas as described in EP 1,199,327, and morpholine-2 as described in WO 03/031482 , 3-dione, and derivatives thereof.

SAP can be formed from a polyacrylic acid / polyacrylate polymer having, for example, a degree of neutralization of 60% to 90%, or about 75%, for example, having a sodium counterion. Suitable SAPs are also commercially available, for example, from reversed-phase suspension polymerization as described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 4,340,706 and U.S. Patent No. 5,849,816, or U.S. Patent Application No. 2009/0192035, U.S. Patent Application No. 2009/0258994, Can be obtained from spray-or other gas-phase dispersion polymerization as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/0068520. In some embodiments, suitable SAPs can be obtained by current state of the art manufacturing processes, as described more specifically in International Application Publication No. WO 2006/083584 at page 12, line 23 to page 20, line 27.

The absorbent core will typically contain only one type of SAP, but does not rule out that a blend of SAPs can be used. The fluid permeability of the superabsorbent polymer can be quantified using its Urine Permeability Measurement (UPM) value, as measured by the test described in European Patent Application No. EP12174117.7. The UPM of SAP may be, for example, greater than or equal to 10 x ^10-7 cm3 sec / g, or greater than or equal to 30 x ^10-7 cm3 sec / g, or greater than or equal to 50 x ^10-7 cm3 sec / , Such as 80 or 100 x 10 <" ⁷ > cm < 3 > The flow properties can also be adjusted by varying the amount and distribution of SAP used in the absorbent core.

For most absorbent articles, the liquid release occurs mainly in the front half of the article, especially in the case of diapers. Thus, the front half of the article (as defined by the area between the transverse line and the forward edge disposed at a distance of half the L from the front or rear edge) may comprise most of the absorbent capacity of the core. Thus, at least 60% SAP, or at least 65%, 70%, 75% or 80% SAP may be present in the front half of the absorbent article, and the remaining SAP is placed in the back half of the absorbent article.

The total amount of SAP present in the absorbent core may also vary depending on the expected user. Diapers for newborn babies may require less SAP than infant or adult incontinence diapers. The amount of SAP in the core may be included, for example, from about 5 to 60 g, especially 5 to 50 g. Deposition region (8) of the SAP average SAP basis weight within (or, if multiple dog being "at least one" deposition region) is, for example, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 g / m 2 or higher, or greater than . The material free zone 26 present in the absorbent material deposition zone 8 is estimated from the absorbent material deposition zone to calculate this average basis weight.

Absorbent material (60)

The absorbent material can be, for example, a continuous layer in a core wrap that can be obtained by application of a single continuous layer of absorbent material. The absorbent material may also consist of individual pockets or stripes of absorbent material encapsulated within the core wrap. Continuous layers of absorbent material, particularly SAP, can also be obtained by combining two absorbent layers having a discontinuous absorbent material application pattern, in which case the resulting layer is, for example, described in U. S. Patent Application No. 2008/0312622 Al ), As described in U.S. Pat. 4 to 6, the absorbent core 28 may accordingly include a first absorbent layer and a second absorbent layer, wherein the first absorbent layer comprises first substrate 16 and 100 % SAP, and the second absorbent layer comprises a second substrate 16 'and a second layer 62 of absorbent material, which may also be 100% SAP . The first and second SAP layers can be applied as a transverse stripe or "land area" having the same width as the desired absorbent material deposition area on their respective substrates before being combined. The stripes may advantageously include different amounts of absorbent material (SAP) to provide a profiled basis weight along the longitudinal axis 80 'of the core. The first substrate 16 and the second substrate 16 'may form a core wrap.

Fiber thermoplastic adhesive materials (51)

The absorbent core may also include a fibrous thermoplastic adhesive material 51, particularly a microfiber adhesive, to further immobilize the absorbent material within the core. The fibrous thermoplastic adhesive material 51 may at least partially bond each layer 61, 62 of absorbent material to its respective substrate. The fibrous thermoplastic adhesive material 51 may at least partially contact the absorbent material 61, 62 in the land area and may at least partially contact the substrate layer in the connection area. This imparts an essentially three-dimensional structure to the fibrous layer of the thermoplastic adhesive material 51, which itself is an essentially two-dimensional structure of relatively small thickness compared to the dimensions in the length and width directions. As such, the fibrous thermoplastic adhesive material can provide cavities to cover the absorbent material in the land area, thus immobilizing this absorbent material, which can be 100% SAP.

The thermoplastic polymer may typically have a molecular weight (Mw) of greater than 10,000 and usually a glass transition temperature (Tg) of less than room temperature or -6 [deg.] C <Tg < Typical concentrations of the polymer in the hot melt range from about 20 wt% to about 40 wt%. The thermoplastic polymer may be water insensitive. Exemplary polymers are (styrenic) block copolymers comprising an ABA triblock structure, an AB diblock structure and an (AB) n radial block copolymer structure, wherein the A block Typically a non-elastomeric polymer block comprising polystyrene, and the B block is an unsaturated conjugated diene or a (partially) hydrogenated version thereof. B blocks are typically isoprene, butadiene, ethylene / butylene (hydrogenated butadiene), ethylene / propylene (hydrogenated isoprene), and mixtures thereof. Other suitable thermoplastic polymers that may be utilized are metallocene polyolefins which are ethylene polymers produced using single-site catalysts or metallocene catalysts. Here, one or more comonomers can be polymerized with ethylene to produce copolymers, terpolymers, or higher order polymers. Amorphous polyolefins, or amorphous polyalphaolefins (APAO), which are homopolymers, copolymers or ternary copolymers of C2 to C8 alpha olefins, are also applicable.

The tackifying resin may have an exemplary Mw of less than 5,000 and usually a Tg of greater than room temperature, with a typical concentration of resin in the hot melt ranging from about 30 to about 60%, and the plasticizer typically has a low Mw &lt; RTI ID = Has a Tg below room temperature, with a typical concentration of about 0 to about 15%.

The thermoplastic adhesive used for the fibrous layer preferably has elastomeric properties and thus the web formed by the fibers on the SAP layer can be stretched as the SAP swells. Exemplary elastomeric, hot melt adhesives include polyolefin blends of a thermoplastic elastomer such as ethylene vinyl acetate, polyurethane, a light component (typically a crystalline polyolefin such as polypropylene or polyethylene) and a soft component (such as an ethylene-propylene rubber) ; Copolyesters such as poly (ethylene terephthalate-co-ethylene azelate); And a thermoplastic elastomeric block copolymer having a thermoplastic end block and a rubbery midblock, referred to as an A-B-A block copolymer: a mixture of structurally different homopolymers or copolymers such as polyethylene or polystyrene and a mixture of A-B-A block copolymers; Mixtures of thermoplastic elastomers with low molecular weight resin modifiers such as a mixture of styrene-isoprene styrene block copolymer and polystyrene; And the elastomeric, hot-melt, pressure sensitive adhesives described herein. These types of elastomeric hot-melt adhesives are described in greater detail in U.S. Patent No. 4,731,066 (Korpman).

The thermoplastic adhesive material 51 fibers have an average thickness of from about 1 to about 50 micrometers or from about 1 to about 35 micrometers and an average length of from about 5 mm to about 50 mm or from about 5 mm to about 30 mm . Such a layer can be pre-treated with a secondary adhesive to improve adhesion to the substrate of the thermoplastic adhesive material or to any other layer, especially any other nonwoven layer. The fibers are bonded together to form a fibrous layer, which may also be described as a mesh.

The absorbent core is advantageously at least about 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% or less Achieve SAP loss.

Absorbent material deposition region 8,

The absorbent material deposition area 8 may be defined by the periphery of the layer formed by the absorbent material 60 within the core wrap as viewed from the top surface of the absorbent core. The absorbent material deposition area 8 may be generally rectangular, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, but may have a "T" or "Y" or "sand-clock" or "dog- Other like shapes can also be used. In particular, the deposition area may exhibit tapering along its width toward the middle or "crotch" area of the core. In this manner, the absorbent material deposition area may have a relatively narrow width in the region of the core intended to be disposed within the crotch region of the absorbent article. This can, for example, provide better wearing comfort. Thus, the absorbent material deposition area 8 has, at its narrowest point, a width of about 100 mm, 90 mm, 80 mm, 70 mm, 60 mm or even less than about 50 mm (as measured in the transverse direction) . This narrowest width may further be, for example, 5 mm or more, or 10 mm or more smaller than the width of the deposition region at its widest point in the front and / or rear region of the deposition region 8.

The basis weight of the SAP (amount deposited per unit surface) may also be varied along the deposition zone 8 to produce a profiled distribution of absorbent material, particularly SAP, in the longitudinal, transverse, or both directions of the core . Thus, along the longitudinal axis of the core, as well as along the transverse axis, or along any axis parallel to any of these axes, the basis weight of the absorbent material can vary. Thus, the basis weight of SAP in a region of relatively high basis weight may be higher than, for example, 10%, or 20%, or 30%, or 40%, or more than 50% in a region of relatively low basis weight. In particular, the SAP present in the absorbent material deposition area at the longitudinal position of the crotch point C may have more SAP deposited per unit surface as compared to other areas of the absorbent material deposition area 8.

The absorbent material may be deposited using known techniques that may permit relatively precise deposition of the SAP at relatively high rates. In particular, SAP printing as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/24433 (Blessing), U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0312617, and U.S. Patent Application No. 2010 / 0051166A1 (both Hunford, Technology can be used. This technique uses a printing roll to deposit the SAP onto a substrate disposed on a grid of supports that can include a plurality of crossbars, wherein the plurality of transverse bars comprise a plurality of transverse bars, Extend substantially parallel to one another and are spaced apart from one another. This technique enables high-speed and precise deposition of SAP on a substrate to provide at least one region (s) 26 that is substantially free of absorbent material, particularly surrounded by an absorbent material. The region that is substantially free of absorbent material can be, for example, a grid and a receiving drum (not shown) such that no SAP is applied to the selected area, as exemplified in U. S. Patent Application No. 2012/0312491 (Jackels) ).

The core laps 16, 16 '

The core wrap may be made of a single substrate folded around the absorbent material or may comprise two (or more) substrates that are advantageously attached to each other. Typical attachments are so-called C-wrap and / or sandwich wrap. In the C-lap, one of the longitudinal and / or transverse edges of the substrate is folded over another substrate to form a flap, as exemplarily shown in Fig. These flaps are then joined to the outer surface of another substrate, typically by gluing.

The core wrap may be formed from any material suitable for containing and containing absorbent material. Typically, a base material, particularly a paper, tissue, film, woven or nonwoven fabric, or a laminate of any of these, used in the manufacture of conventional cores may be used. The core wrap may be formed by a nonwoven web, such as a carded nonwoven, a spunbond nonwoven ("S") or a meltblown nonwoven ("M") and a laminate of any of these. For example, those having a spunmelt polypropylene nonwoven, especially a laminate web SMS, or SMMS, or SSMMS structure and having a basis weight range of about 5 gsm to 15 gsm are suitable. Suitable materials are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 7,744,576, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011 / 0268932A1, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011 / 0319848A1, or U.S. Patent Application No. 2011 / 0250413A1. Nonwoven materials provided from synthetic fibers, such as PE, PET and especially PP, may be used.

When the core wraps comprise a first substrate 16 and a second substrate 16 ', they may be made of the same type of material, or may be made of different materials, or one of the substrates may be provided with different properties thereto And the like. Since the polymers used in making nonwoven fabrics are inherently hydrophobic, they are preferably coated with a hydrophilic coating when disposed on the fluid receiving surface of the absorbent core. It is advantageous that the upper surface of the core wrap, i.e. the surface that is disposed closer to the wearer in the absorbent article, is more hydrophilic than the bottom surface of the core wrap. A possible way to produce a nonwoven with a durable hydrophilic coating is to apply the hydrophilic monomer and the radical polymerization initiator in the form of a nonwoven fabric and perform a polymerization that is activated through UV light to chemically bond the monomer to the surface of the nonwoven . An alternative possible way to produce a nonwoven with a durable hydrophilic coating is to coat the nonwoven with hydrophilic nanoparticles, as described in WO 02/064877.

Nonwoven fabrics that are permanently hydrophilic are also useful in some embodiments. Surface tension may be used to determine how permanently predetermined hydrophilicity levels are achieved. A liquid strike through can be used to measure the level of hydrophilicity. The first and / or second substrate may have a surface tension of at least 55, preferably at least 60, most preferably at least 65 mN / m when wetted with saline. The substrate may also have a liquid transit time of less than 5 seconds for the fifth ejection of liquid. These values can be measured using the test method described in U.S. Patent No. 7,744,576 B2 (Bleach et al.): "Determination of Surface Tension" and "Determination of Strike Through" have.

Hydrophilicity and wettability are typically defined with respect to the contact angle and the passage time of the fluid through, for example, a nonwoven fabric. This is discussed in detail in the American Chemical Society publication entitled "Contact angle, wettability and adhesion ", edited by Robert F. Gould (Copyright 1964). A substrate having a lower contact angle between water and the surface of the substrate may be referred to as being more hydrophilic than the other.

The substrate may also be air-permeable. Thus, films useful in the present invention may include micro-pores. The substrate may have an air-permeability of, for example, 40 or 50 to 300 or 200 m 3 / (m ² x min) when determined by the EDANA process 140-1-99 (125 Pa, 38.3 cm 2). The material of the core wrap may alternatively have a lower air-permeability, e.g., non-air-permeable, to facilitate handling on a moving surface including, for example, a vacuum.

When a core wrap is formed by two substrates 16, 16 ', four seals can typically be used to seal the absorbent material 60 within the core wrap. For example, the first substrate 16 may be disposed on one side of the core (the top surface as shown in the figure) and may be disposed about the longitudinal edge of the core to at least partially surround the opposite bottom side of the core . The second substrate 16 'is typically between the wrapped flaps of the first substrate 16 and the absorbent material 60. The flap of the first substrate 16 may be adhered to the second substrate 16 'to provide a strong seal. This so-called C-wrap configuration can provide a benefit such as improved resistance to tearing in wet loading conditions as compared to a sandwich seal. The front side and back side of the core wrap may then be sealed by gluing the first and second substrates together to provide complete sealing of the absorbent material, for example throughout the entire periphery of the core. With respect to the front side and back side of the core, the first and second substrates extend in a substantially planar direction and can be joined together to form a so-called sandwich configuration for these edges. In so-called sandwich configurations, the first and second substrates may also extend outwardly on all sides of the core, and may be flatly sealed along all or part of the periphery of the core, typically by adhesive and / or thermal / . Typically neither the first substrate nor the second substrate needs to be shaped so that they can be cut into rectangles for ease of manufacture, but of course other shapes are possible.

The term "seal" should be understood broadly. The seal may not necessarily be continuous along the entire periphery of the core wrap, but may be discontinuous along some or all of it, such as formed by a series of seal points spaced on the line. Typically, the seal may be formed by gluing and / or thermal bonding. The core wrap may also be formed by a single substrate that is capable of encapsulating the absorbent material, such as in a parcel wrap, and may be sealed, for example, along the front and back sides of the core and along one longitudinal seal have.

The region (s) 26 and channels 26 ', which are substantially absorptive material free,

The absorbent core includes one or more region (s) 26 that are substantially free of absorbent material. By "substantially free" it is meant that the basis weight of the absorbent material in these areas is at least 25%, in particular 20% or less than 10% of the average basis weight of the absorbent material in the rest of the core. In particular, there may be no absorbent material in these areas. Very small amounts, such as unwanted mixing with absorbent materials that can occur during the manufacturing process, are not considered absorbent materials. The region 26 is advantageously encased by an absorbent material as viewed in the plane of the core, which means that the region (s) 26 do not extend to any edge of the deposition region of the absorbent material.

The top surface 16 of the core wrap is attached to the bottom surface 16 'of the core wrap by core wrap joint (s) 27 through substantially absorbent material-free region (s) 26. As shown in FIG. 3, when the absorbent material is swollen, the core wrap joint remains at least initially adhered to the substantially region-free region (s) 26. The absorbent material is swollen in the remainder of the core as it absorbs the liquid such that the core wrap extends along one or more channel (s) along region (s) 26 that are substantially absorptive material- (26 '). These channels 26 'are three dimensional and can serve to distribute the ejected fluid along their length to a wider region of the core. This can provide a faster fluid acquisition rate and better utilization of the absorbing capacity of the core. These channels 26 'may also provide deformation of the fibrous layer 54 and provide the channels 29 within the fibrous layer 54, as will be further described below. It is not excluded that the absorbent core may include other region (s) that are substantially absorptive but have no core wrap joints, but these non-bonded regions will typically not form a channel when wet.

Although the top and bottom surfaces of the core wrap can be attached together continuously along the region (s) 26 that are substantially absorptive material-free, the core wrap joint 27 can also be discontinuous (intermittent ). Typically, an adhesive can be used to attach the top surface of the core wrap to the bottom, but it is possible to bond through other known attachment means such as pressure bonding, ultrasonic bonding or thermal bonding or combinations thereof. Attachment of the top and bottom surfaces of the core wrap may be provided by one or more layers of one or more adhesive materials, particularly one or more layers of secondary adhesive and / or one or more layers of fibrous adhesive material when present in the core, as described above. Thus, these adhesives can serve as a dual function of immobilizing the absorbent material and attaching the top and bottom surfaces of the core together.

The following examples of the shape and size of the substantially absorptive material free region 26 are not limiting. In general, the core wrap joints 27 may have the same contour, but may be slightly smaller than the area 26 due to the tolerances required in some manufacturing processes. The substantially material-free region (s) 26 are defined within the crotch region of the article, in particular at least the crotch point (s), as represented in Figure 4 by the region 26 of substantially longitudinally- RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; (C). &Lt; / RTI &gt; The absorbent core 28 may also include more than two substantially absorptive material-free zone (s), for example, three or more, or four or more, or five or more, or six or more. The absorbent core may comprise one or more pairs of substantially absorptive material-free regions arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal axis 80 '. The shorter region (s) without substantially absorbent material can also be present, for example, in the rear region or the front region of the core, as can be seen, for example, in the drawings of International Application Publication No. WO2012 / 170778.

The region (s) that are substantially absorptive material-free can extend substantially in the longitudinal direction, typically because each region is more longitudinal in the transverse direction, typically (after projection onto each axis Means that it extends more than two times more in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction. The region (s) 26 substantially absorptive material free may have a length L 'projected onto the longitudinal axis 80' of the core, which is at least 10% of the length L of the absorbent article. It may be advantageous that at least some or all of the region (s) 26 are not channels that are fully or substantially completely transversely oriented in the core.

The region (s) substantially free of absorbent material may be oriented completely in the longitudinal direction and parallel to the longitudinal axis, but may also be curved. In particular, some or all of these regions (s), particularly those regions (s) that are in the crotch region, have a longitudinal axis 80 'as shown in Figure 4 for a pair of channels 26' It can be concave toward. The radius of curvature is typically at least equal to (and preferably is at least 1.5 times or at least 2.0 times the average transverse dimension of) the average transverse dimension of the absorbent material deposition area 8, and is a straight line but parallel to the longitudinal axis A maximum of 30 degrees (e.g., from 5 degrees), or an angle of up to 20 degrees, e.g., up to 10 degrees. The radius of curvature may be substantially constant for the region (s) absent the absorbent material, or may vary along its length. This also means that if the angle between the two parts of the channel is at least 120, preferably at least 150, and in any of these cases the longitudinal extension of the zone is greater than the transverse extension, (S) that is substantially absorptive material with an angle of about &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; These areas (s) may also be diverted, for example, a substantially substantially materialless area at the center may overlap the longitudinal axis in the crotch region, which branches towards the rear of the article and / or towards the front.

In some embodiments, there is substantially no region (s) of absorptive material coinciding with the longitudinal axis 80 'of the core. When present as one of the symmetrical pair (s) with respect to the longitudinal axis, the region (s) substantially free of absorbent material can be spaced from each other over their entire longitudinal dimension. The minimum separation distance may be, for example, 5 mm or more, or 10 mm or more, or 16 mm or more.

Furthermore, in order to reduce the risk of fluid leakage, the region (s) substantially absent of the absorbent material does not extend to any edge of the absorbent material deposition region 8, and thus by the absorbent material deposition region 8 of the core Enclosed and completely contained therein. Typically, the minimum distance between the region (s) substantially absorptive material free and the nearest edge of the absorbent material deposition area is at least 5 mm.

The region (s) substantially absorptive material-free has a width Wc along at least a portion of its length that is at least 2 mm, or at least 3 mm or at least 4 mm, for example up to 20 mm, or 16 mm or 12 mm Lt; / RTI &gt; The width Wc of the region (s) substantially absent of the absorbent material may be substantially constant throughout its entire length or may vary along its length.

The channels 26 'in the absorbent core may begin to form when the absorbent material begins to absorb and swell the liquid. As the core absorbs more liquid, the depressions in the absorbent core formed by the channels will become deeper and more visible with respect to vision and tactile sense. It is possible to combine with a relatively small amount of SAP to create a sufficiently strong core wrap joint that is permanently held until the channel completes the saturation of the absorbent material. On the other hand, the core wrap joint can in some cases also limit the swelling of the absorbent material when the core is significantly loaded. Thus, the inventors have found that the core wrap joint 27 can also be designed to be opened in a controlled manner when exposed to a large amount of fluid. The abutment must remain substantially intact during at least the first phase when the absorbent material absorbs an appropriate amount of fluid. In the second stage, the core wrap joints 27 in the channels are opened to provide more space for the absorbent material to swell, while maintaining most of the benefits of channels such as increased flexibility of the core in the transverse direction and fluid management. . In a third step, corresponding to the very high saturation of the absorbent core, more significant portions of the channel joint can be opened to provide even more space for the swellable absorbent material to expand. The strength of the core wrap joint 27 in the channel is such that the more absorbent material will usually cause more swelling and will exert a greater pressure on the joint, so that the adhesive used for attaching, for example, And the pressure used to make the core wrap joint and / or the distribution of the absorbent material. The extensibility of the material of the core wrap may also play a role.

The resistance to delamination of the core wrap joints in the channels is determined by the ability of the absorbent core to be immersed in an excess of 0.9% by weight of saline at 37 &lt; 0 &gt; C and recording the amount of channels being demineralized, Can be quantified using a wetting test. Although not limiting the scope of the first aspect of the present invention, the behavior of the core wrap joint can be as follows:

- Less than 1/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 10 minutes;

- 1/3 to 2/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 20 minutes;

- More than two-thirds of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 60 minutes.

The fibrous layer (54) and the channel (29)

The absorbent article comprises a fibrous layer (54). The fibrous layer may be between the topsheet 24 and the absorbent core 28, as shown in the figure, but it may also be between the backsheet 25 and the absorbent core 28. The absorbent article may also include a backsheet and an absorbent core in accordance with the present invention and a fibrous layer between the topsheet and the absorbent core. The fibrous layer 54 is at least partially bonded to the top or bottom surface of the core wrap in the region (s) substantially free of absorbent material. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the formation of the channel (s) in the absorbent core as the absorbent material swells results in the formation of one or more corresponding channels in the fibrous layer.

The fibrous layer may be of any kind, such as nonwoven, woven material or even loose fibers. The fibrous layer may be of a type known in the art for the acquisition layer and / or the distribution layer in particular. The fibrous layer is at least partially bonded to the top surface 16 of the core wrap in region (s) 26 that are substantially free of absorbent material. The present inventors have found that such bonding enables the fibrous layer to follow the depression formed by the channel 26 as the absorbent core absorbs and swells up the liquid. In this manner, the formation of the one or more channels 26 results in the formation of one or more corresponding channels 29 in the fibrous layer. The channels 29 formed in the fibrous layer provide improved liquid handling characteristics, and in particular these channels serve to distribute the discharge fluid along the length of the channel. The channel (s) 29 may have substantially the same contour as the corresponding channel (s) 26 '. The depth of the channel (s) will typically depend on the nature of the fibers, the thickness of the fibrous layer, the basis weight and, of course, the amount of fluid absorbed by the absorbent core. A lighter and more flexible fibrous layer can, for example, provide a deeper channel. The depth of the channel can be generally proportional to the depth of the channel, which will change as the absorbent core swells.

Typically, the fibrous layer 54 does not contain SAP, as the SAP may slow the acquisition and distribution of fluids. The prior art discloses many types of fibrous layers that can be used as acquisition and / or distribution layers, for example as disclosed in International Application WO 2000/59 430 (Daley), International Application WO 95/10996 (Richards Richards), U.S. Patent No. 5,700,254 (McDowall), International Application Publication No. WO 02/067809 (Graef).

The fibrous layer may serve as a distribution layer capable of diffusing the discharged fluid liquid over a larger surface in the article so that the absorbing capacity of the core can be used more efficiently. Typically, the distribution layer is made of a nonwoven material based on synthetic or cellulosic fibers and having a relatively low density. The density of the distribution layer may vary depending on the compression of the article, but typically ranges from 0.03 to 0.25 g / cm3, especially from 0.05 to 0.15 g / cm3, as measured at 0.30 psi Lt; / RTI &gt; The distribution layer may also be a material having a water retention value of 25 to 60, preferably 30 to 45 as measured, as indicated in the procedure disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,137,537. The distribution layer may have an average basis weight of typically 30 to 400 g / m ² , especially 100 to 300 g / m ² .

The distribution layer may comprise, for example, at least 50% by weight of crosslinked cellulosic fibers. The crosslinked cellulosic fibers can be crimped, twisted, curled, or a combination thereof including crimping, twisting, and curling. This type of material has previously been used in disposable diapers as part of the acquisition system (e. G. U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0312622 Al (Hunford)). The crosslinked cellulosic fibers provide a higher resilience and thus a higher resistance to compression of the first absorbent layer within the product packaging or in use, for example under compression of the infant. This provides a core with higher pore volume, transmittance and liquid absorption, and thus reduced leakage and improved dryness.

Exemplary chemically crosslinked cellulosic fibers suitable for the distribution layer are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,791, U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,537, International Patent Application No. WO9534329, or U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/118087. Exemplary crosslinking agents include polycarboxylic acids such as citric acid and / or polyacrylic acids such as acrylic acid and maleic acid copolymers. For example, the crosslinked cellulosic fibers may comprise from about 0.5 mol% to about 10.0 mol% C2-C9 polycarboxylic acid, calculated on a cellulose anhydroglucose basis, reacted with said fibers in the formation of ester crosslinking bonds in the fibers An acid crosslinking agent. The C2-C9 polycarboxylic acid crosslinking agent may be selected from the group consisting of:

- Aliphatic and alicyclic C2-C9 polycarboxylic acids having three or more carboxyl groups per molecule; And

- Aliphatic and alicyclic C2-C9 polycarboxylic acids having two carboxyl groups per molecule and having carbon-carbon double bonds located in alpha, beta for one or both of the carboxyl groups, wherein the C2-C9 polycarboxyl One carboxyl group in the acid crosslinking agent is separated from the second carboxyl group by two or three carbon atoms. The fiber may have a cross-linking agent, calculated in terms of cellulose anhydroglucose, in particular from about 1.5 mol% to about 6.0 mol%, which is reacted therewith in the formation of an ester cross-linking bond in the fiber. The cross-linking agent may be selected from the group consisting of citric acid, 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid, and 1,2,3-propane tricarboxylic acid, especially citric acid.

The polyacrylic acid crosslinking agent may also be selected from polyacrylic acid homopolymers, copolymers of acrylic acid, and mixtures thereof. The fibers may have from 1.0 wt% to 10.0 wt%, preferably from 3 wt% to 7 wt% of such cross-linking agents, calculated on a dry fiber weight basis, which is reacted with it in the formation of crosslinking bonds in the fibers . The crosslinking agent may be a polyacrylic acid polymer having a molecular weight of 500 to 40,000, preferably 1,000 to 20,000. The polymeric polyacrylic acid crosslinking agent may be a copolymer of acrylic acid and maleic acid, and in particular, the weight ratio of acrylic acid to maleic acid is from 10: 1 to 1: 1, preferably from 5: 1 to 1.5: 1. An effective amount of citric acid may be further mixed with the polymeric polyacrylic acid crosslinking agent.

The distribution layer comprising the cross-linked cellulosic fibers may comprise other fibers, but this layer advantageously comprises 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90% or more Or even up to 100% of crosslinked cellulosic fibers (including crosslinking agents). Examples of such mixed layers of crosslinked cellulosic fibers include about 70 weight percent chemically crosslinked cellulosic fibers, about 10 weight percent polyester (PET) fibers, and about 20 weight percent untreated pulp fibers can do. In another example, the layer of crosslinked cellulosic fibers may comprise about 70 weight percent chemically crosslinked cellulosic fibers, about 20 weight percent lyocell fibers, and about 10 weight percent PET fibers . In another example, the layer may comprise about 68 wt% chemically crosslinked cellulosic fibers, about 16 wt% untreated pulp fibers, and about 16 wt% PET fibers. In another example, the layer of crosslinked cellulosic fibers may comprise from about 90 to 100 weight percent of chemically crosslinked cellulosic fibers.

The fibrous layer may also serve as an acquisition layer, which may be to allow its function to quickly acquire fluid away from the topsheet to provide good dryness for the wearer. Such an acquisition layer is typically disposed directly beneath the topsheet. The absorbent article may also include a distribution layer 52 in addition to the fibrous layer 54, as illustrated by way of example in Figs. 12 and 13. Fig. Acquisition layer 52, if present, may be disposed at least partially over fibrous layer 54.

The acquisition layer may or may not comprise an SMS or SMMS material typically comprising a nonwoven material such as spunbond, meltblown and an additional spunbonded layer or alternatively a carded chemically-bonded nonwoven. The nonwoven material can be particularly latex bonded. An exemplary upper acquisition layer 52 is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,786,341. Particularly when the fibers used are solid round, round and hollow PET staple fibers (6 deniers and 50/50 or 40/60 blends of 9 denier fibers), carded resin-bonded nonwoven fabrics can be used have. An exemplary binder is butadiene / styrene latex. Nonwoven fabrics have the advantage that they can be manufactured outside the conversion line and stored and used as a roll of material.

Additional useful nonwoven fabrics are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,645,569, U.S. Patent No. 6,863,933 (both Cramer), U.S. Patent No. 7,112,621 (Rohrbaugh), and co-pending U.S. Patent Application 2003 / 148684 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/008839, both to Kramer.

Such acquisition layer 52 may be stabilized by a latex binder, for example, a styrene-butadiene latex binder (SB latex). Processes for obtaining such latexes are known, for example, from European Patent EP 149 880 (Kwok and U.S. Patent Application 2003/0105190 (Diehl et al.)). In certain embodiments, SB Latex may be present in the acquisition layer 52 under the trade designation GENFLO ™ 3160 (OMNOVA Solutions Inc., Akron, Ohio, USA) ).

Additional acquisition layers may be used in addition to the first acquisition layer described above. For example, a tissue layer may be disposed between the first acquisition layer and the distribution layer. The tissue may have improved capillary distribution characteristics as compared to the acquisition layers described above. The tissue and first acquisition layer may be the same size or may be of different sizes, for example the tissue layer may extend further to the back of the absorbent article than the first acquisition layer. An example of a hydrophilic tissue is one having a high wet strength of 13 to 22.5 gsm made from cellulosic fibers from the supplier Havix.

The bonding of the fibrous layer 54 to the top surface 16 of the core wrap

The fibrous layer 54 may be bonded to the top surface of the core wrap by any conventional bonding means, particularly adhesive bonding, but other bonding means such as calendaring, pressure or fusion bonding are also possible Do. The adhesive can be applied to the outer surface of the upper surface of the core wrap or to the bottom surface of the fibrous layer, or to both surfaces, before the two layers are combined, depending on the ease of application of the surface. The adhesive may be applied to at least the same area as the entire bottom surface of the fibrous layer. The adhesive may also be applied to areas smaller than the bottom side of the fibrous layer.

The adhesive may be applied, for example, by slot coating, typically in the direction of manufacture of the article ("machine direction" or "MD") parallel to the longitudinal direction of the article, &Lt; / RTI &gt; technology. For cost reasons, rather than applying the adhesive as a continuous layer to the application area, it is applied discontinuously, such as by using continuous or intermittent stripes or slots separated by gaps, so that the actual area of application of the adhesive application Region, typically from about 10 to about 50%.

Figures 7 to 11 illustrate the possibility of different adhesives between the core wraps and the fibrous layer. In these figures, although only the application area 66 of the adhesive is shown, other adhesives, such as adhesive 68, may be present between the topsheet and the fibrous layer, as illustrated by way of example in Figs. 12 and 13. Fig.

7, the application area 66 of the adhesive between the fibrous layer and the core lap may cover substantially the entire area of the fibrous layer 54. [ Typically, due to the constraints of high-speed manufacturing, a margin of several millimeters (e.g., about 5 mm) along the longitudinal side of the fibrous layer can be left without adhesive (as shown in FIG. 8). As described above, the area of the application range of the adhesive can generally be expressed as less than 100% of the application area. For example, the adhesive may be applied in a slot coating process comprising a series of parallel, continuous slots separated by a gap. Adhesive slots may have the same width or different widths, and may or may not be regularly spaced. Adhesive slots may have gaps, for example, in the range of 0.5 mm to 3 mm and gaps in the range of about 1 mm to 5 mm. In one example, the adhesive slot that bonds the core wrap to the fibrous layer is 1 mm in size, and the gap is 2 mm.

The topsheet 24 may also be formed, for example, by an adhesive or by fusion bonding. (S) 26 in which the channel (s) 26 'are formed is substantially free of absorbent material (s) 26, by any other means, such as calendering or pressure bonding or any combination thereof. ) To the fibrous layer 54 directly or indirectly. In this way, the topsheet can more easily follow their shape as the channels 26 'and channels 29 are formed when the absorbent material is swollen, and the secondary channels 29' . The topsheet 24 can be attached directly to the fibrous layer or indirectly as would be further discussed and exemplified in Figure 14, where additional layers such as the distribution layer 52 are present between the topsheet and the absorbent core . The attachment region 68 of the topsheet to the fibrous layer 54 or another underlying layer 52 may extend along the entire length of the fibrous layer. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying an adhesive along the entire length of the topsheet, as shown in FIG. In this manner, the topsheet can be attached to the fibrous layer and further to the rest of the chassis of the absorbent article, such as the absorbent core and the backsheet. The attachment region 68 may be formed by an adhesive that is illustratively applied by slot coating. Slots can typically extend in the longitudinal direction (MD) for ease of manufacture, but they do not preclude that they can also be applied in the transverse direction. The width of the attachment region 68 may be sufficient to cover or superimpose at least the substantially absorptive material free region 26 (when viewed from above). The size, width and gap size of the application range as described above for the adhesive that attaches the fibrous layer to the core wab is also determined by the thickness of the layer underlying the topsheet (e.g., fibrous layer 54, or distribution layer 52, if present) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; a &lt; / RTI &gt;

Figure 8 shows an alternative bond between the core wraps and the fibrous layer, wherein the fibrous layer is bonded to the core wraps in two longitudinally extending regions 66, 66 'separated by non-bonding regions in the central region of the fibrous layer Area. The materialless region 26 of the core wrap is in the adhesive application areas 66 and 66 '. Similarly, the topsheet is shown directly on the fibrous layer in the two attachment regions 68, 68 'that cover the area 26 absorptive material-free and separated by the non-attachment area, as exemplarily shown in Fig. Or indirectly.

Figure 9 shows an alternative in which the fibrous layer is bonded to the upper surface of the core wrap only in the substantially material free region (s) 26 of the core. This can be provided by an adhesive using a slot coating, but it is contemplated that other techniques, such as adhesive printing that may be more suitable when the shape of the region (s) 26 without substantial material is curved . U.S. Patent No. 8,186,296 discloses an example of an adhesive printing technique. As described above and in general, the area of the application range of the adhesive may be a part of the application area, for example 10% to 50%, but in the case where the application area of the adhesive is relatively limited, A coverage of a larger size of up to 100% may be used.

Figure 10 shows an alternative bonding area where a smaller area 66 of the fibrous layer is bonded to the core wraps. In particular, a portion of the substantially region-free region (s) 26 may not be bonded to the fibrous layer. However, it may be advantageous that at least 50% of the area 26 can be within the application area of the bonding means, in particular the adhesive.

Figure 11 shows an alternative bonding area pattern 66 between the core wraps and the fibrous layer. In this example, the adhesive (or any other bonding means) can be applied to several bonding areas 66 separated longitudinally by a series of unglued areas. It may be advantageous that a portion of the substantially material free area (s) 26 may be outside the adhesive application area 66, but that at least 50% of the area 26 may be in the application area 66. [

Typically, and as shown in the figures, the upper surface of the absorbent core has a larger area than the fibrous layer. However, it does not exclude that the fibrous layer can have a larger area than the core wrap, in which case the bonding area may be as large as or less than the area of the top surface of the core wrap.

The additional layer (52)

The absorbent article can include additional layer (s) between the fibrous layer 54 and the topsheet 24, such as acquisition layer 52, and / or additional layer (s) between the fibrous layer and the core wrap have. 14 shows a simplified cross-sectional view of an absorbent article further comprising an additional layer 52 between the topsheet 24 and the fibrous layer 54. Fig. In Fig. 14, the adhesive layer is represented as including two application areas, but other application patterns are possible. The adhesive application area may be formed by slot coating or any other adhesive application means and may have a coverage area that is only part of the application area. The additional layer 52, which may be a distribution layer, may also be adhesively bonded to the topsheet and the fibrous layer in a region corresponding to the region (s) 26 substantially absorptive material-free. The absorbent article includes an adhesive 66 between the absorbent core 28 and the fibrous layer 54. Adhesive 66 attaches the outer surface of the top surface of the core wrap to the bottom surface of the fibrous layer in a region 26 that is substantially absorptive material free. The adhesive 67 may adhere the fibrous layer 54 to the additional layer 52 and similarly the adhesive 68 may adhere the additional layer 52 to the topsheet 24.

It may be advantageous to ensure that all layers between the top surface of the core wraps and the topsheet are at least partially bonded in the substantially materialless region (s) 26 of the core. In Fig. 15, which represents the article of Fig. 14 in a wet state, the advantages of such a configuration are illustrated. In that figure, the absorbent material absorbed the liquid and swelled to the proper amount so that the wrap joint 27 still existed. The channels 26 'formed by the core wraps and the swollen absorbent material are not only located within the fibrous layer 54 but also indirectly in the core wrap, which in this case is the additional layer 52 (e.g., acquisition layer) and the topsheet 24 Resulting in the formation of a corresponding channel 29 for the other bonded layers. Thus, the topsheet may be bonded (by adhesive 68 or other bonding means) to a layer lying directly underneath which may be a distribution layer 52, and the underlying layer may be bonded to the adhesive layer 67 or any other And can be bonded to the fibrous layer 54 by a bonding means. The adhesive that may be used between the different layers may be any conventional adhesive, for example, as a bead by slot coating or other applicability, such as adhesive printing (as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 8,186,296) A hot melt adhesive applied by a hot melt adhesive can be applied.

Depending on the amount of absorbent material contained within the absorbent core, the absorbent core is swollen to a predetermined amount and then is in a state similar to the state shown in FIG. 15 where the core wrap joint 27 and channel 26 ' Saturation can be reached. The absorbent core may also include more absorbent material so that they swell in a larger amount that can cause the core wrap joint 27 to open at least in part of the channel (s). This is illustrated in FIG. 16 where the core wrap joint 27 is open. Following the opening of the core wrap joint 27, the channels 26 'and channels 29 may be less visible or completely disappeared in the open area.

The fastening systems (42, 44)

The absorbent article can include a fastening system. The fastening system can be used to provide lateral tension around the perimeter of the absorbent article to maintain the absorbent article on the wearer as is typical for a tape-like diaper. Such fastening systems are not necessary for panty training pants because they are already bonded to the waist regions of these pantries. The fastening system generally includes a fastener such as a tape tab, a hook and loop fastening component, an interlocking fastener such as a tab and slot, a buckle, a button, And / or hermaphroditic fastening components, but any other known fastening means are generally acceptable. A landing zone is usually provided on the front waist region to which the fasteners are releasably attached. Some exemplary surface fastening systems are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,848,594, 4,662,875, 4,846,815, 4,894,060, 4,946,527, 5,151,092, and 5,221,274 Which is incorporated herein by reference. An exemplary interlocking fastening system is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,432,098. The fastening system can also provide a means for maintaining the article in a configuration as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,963,140 issued to Robertson et al.

The fastening system can also be used to reduce the movement of the overlapping portions, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,699,622, or as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,242,436, U.S. Patent No. 5,499,978, U.S. Patent No. 5,507,736, and U.S. Patent No. 5,591,152 And may include primary and secondary fastening systems in order to improve fit as described above.

Cufflinks (34)

The absorbent article may include a pair of barrier cuffs 34 and / or gasketing cuffs 32. U.S. Patent No. 3,860,003 describes a disposable diaper that provides a contractible leg opening with a side flap and one or more elastic members to provide an elasticized leg cuff (gasketing cuff). US Pat. Nos. 4,808,178 and 4,909,803 to Aziz et al. Describe a disposable diaper having an "stand-up " elasticized flap (intercepting cuff) that improves containment of the leg region do. U.S. Patent No. 4,695,278 and U.S. Patent No. 4,795,454, issued to Lawson and Dragoo, respectively, describe a disposable diaper having a double cuff including gasketing cuffs and interrupted leg cuffs. The blocking leg and / or all or part of the gasketing cuff may be treated with lotion.

The intercepting leg cuff 32 may be formed from a piece of material that is typically a nonwoven, which is a part of the material, that is, the intercepting cuff, is formed by the topsheet when the article is pulled flat, for example, Is partly joined to the rest of the article so that it can be partially lifted up to a defined plane to stand upright. The intercepting cuff can provide improved containment of liquid and other body exudates at the interface of the torso and legs of the wearer. The intercepting cuff extends at least partially between the front and rear edges of the diaper on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis and is at least in the longitudinal position of the crotch point (C). The intercepting leg cuff may include a base end edge 64 coupled to the rest of the article, typically the topsheet and / or the backsheet, and a free end edge 66 bounded by the free end edge 66 intended to contact the wearer & All. The intercepting cuff is joined to the chassis of the article at the proximal edge 64 by a bond 65, which may be formed by, for example, an adhesive, fusion bond or a combination of known bonding means. The abutment 65 at the proximal edge 64 may be continuous or intermittent. The side of the abutment 65 closest to the raised section of the intercepting cuff 32 delimits the base end edge 64 of the upright section of the leg cuff.

The intercepting leg cuffs 32 may be integral with the topsheet or backsheet, or, more typically, may be formed from discrete materials bonded to the rest of the article. Typically, the material of the intercepting cuff can extend through the entire length of the diaper, but is "tack bonded" to the topsheet toward the front edge and the back edge of the article, And remains coplanar with the topsheet. Each barrier cuff 34 may include one, two, or more elastic strings 35 close to these free end edges 66 to provide a better seal.

In addition to the intercepting cuff 34, the article can include a gasketing cuff 32 that is coupled to the chassis of the absorbent article, particularly the topsheet and / or the backsheet, . The gasketing cuff can provide a better seal around the wearer &apos; s thigh. Typically, each gasketing leg cuff will include one or more elastic strings or elastic elements contained within the chassis of the diaper, for example between the topsheet and the backsheet, in the region of the leg opening.

The front and rear ear 46,

The absorbent article can include a front ear portion 46 and a rear ear portion 40 as is known in the art. The ear portion can be an integral part of the chassis, for example formed from a top sheet and / or a back sheet as a side panel. Alternatively, as depicted in Figure 1, they may be separate elements that are attached by adhesion and / or thermal embossing or pressure bonding. The rear ear portion 40 is advantageously stretchable to facilitate attachment of the tab 42 onto the landing zone 40 to maintain the tape-like diaper in place about the waist of the wearer. Since the resiliented ear allows the sides of the absorbent article to expand and contract, the rear ear portion 40 also allows the absorbent article to initially fit properly to the wearer and to absorb such absorbent articles throughout their wearing time after the absorbent article is loaded with exudates. It can be resilient or extensible to provide a more comfortable and fit-to-body fit by keeping fit.

Elastic waist feature

The absorbent article may also include at least one elastic waist feature (not represented) that helps provide improved fit and containment. The elastic waist feature is generally intended to resiliently expand and contract to dynamically fit the waist to the wearer. The elastic waist feature preferably extends at least longitudinally outward from at least one waist edge of the absorbent core 28 and generally forms at least a portion of the end edge of the absorbent article. The disposable diaper may be configured to have two elastic waist features, one positioned in the front waist region and one positioned in the back waist region. The elastic waist feature can be configured in a number of different configurations, including those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,595, U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,189, U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,092, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,274.

Relationship between layers

Typically, adjacent layers and components will be bonded together using conventional bonding methods such as adhesive coating through slot coating or spray over all or part of the surface of the layer, or heat-bonding or pressure bonding or combinations thereof . This bond is not shown in the figures (except for the bonding between the raised elements of the leg cuff 65 with the topsheet 24) for clarity and readability, but the bonding between the layers of the article is not specifically excluded Should be considered to exist. Adhesives can typically be used to improve adhesion between different layers, such as backsheets and core wraps. The adhesive may be any standard hot melt adhesive as is known in the art.

If the acquisition / acquisition layer 52 is present, it may be advantageous that this acquisition layer is larger or at least as large as the fiber / distribution layer 54 in the longitudinal and / or transverse dimension. Thus, the distribution layer 54 can be deposited on the acquisition layer. This simplifies handling, especially if the acquisition layer is a nonwoven that can be unwound from a roll of stock material. The dispensing layer may also be deposited directly on the top surface of the core wrap of the absorbent core or other layers of the article. Also, the acquisition layer 52, which is larger than the distribution layer, allows the acquisition layer (in a larger area) to be bonded directly to the storage core. This can provide increased patch integrity and better liquid communication.

The absorbent core and especially its absorbent material deposition area 8 can advantageously be at least as large and long as the fibrous layer, advantageously at least partially larger and / or longer than the fibrous layer. This is because the absorbent material in the core can usually provide a more efficient fluid holding and drying benefit over areas larger than the fibrous layer. The absorbent article may have a rectangular SAP layer and a non-rectangular (shaped) fibrous layer. The absorbent article may also have a rectangular (non-shaped) fibrous layer and a rectangular layer of SAP.

Method of manufacturing articles

The absorbent articles of the present invention can be made by any conventional method known in the art. In particular, the article can be manufactured industrially, either hand-made or at high speed.

Experiment settings

The values indicated herein are measured according to the methods set forth herein below unless otherwise specified. All measurements are performed at 21 ° C ± 2 ° C and 50% ± 20% RH unless otherwise specified. Unless otherwise indicated, the description refers to a dry article. All samples should be maintained for 24 hours or more under these conditions to equilibrate before performing the test unless otherwise indicated. All measurements shall be reproduced for at least four samples unless indicated otherwise, and shall be expressed as the average value obtained.

Centrifuge Retention Capacity (CRC)

The CRC measures the liquid absorbed by the superabsorbent polymer particles against free swelling in an excess of liquid. CRC is measured according to EDANA method WSP 241.2-05.

Dry absorbed core caliper test

This test can be used to measure the caliper of the absorbent core in a standardized manner (before use, i.e. without fluid loading).

Equipment: Mitutoyo manual caliper gauge with a resolution of 0.01 mm - or equivalent equipment.

Contact Foot: A flat circular foot with a diameter of 17.0 mm (± 0.2 mm). A circular weight can be applied to the foot portion to achieve the target weight (e.g., a weight having a slot to facilitate application around the device shaft). The total weight of the foot portion and the added weight (including the shaft) is selected to provide a pressure of 0.30 psi on the sample.

The caliper gauge is mounted with the lower surface of the contact foot portion in a horizontal plane such that the lower surface of the contact foot portion is in contact with the center of the flat horizontal upper surface of the base plate of approximately 20 x 25 cm. The gauge is set to read as 0 the state in which the contact foot portion lies on the base plate.

Ruler: calibrated metal ruler, scaled in mm

Stopwatch: Accuracy 1 second

Sample Preparation: The core is conditioned for more than 24 hours as described above.

Measuring procedure: The core is laid flat on the bottom side, i. E. The side intended to be oriented from the finished article towards the back sheet. The measurement point (e.g., crotch point C in the finished article corresponds to this point) is carefully drawn on the upper surface of the core, taking care not to compress or deform the core.

The core is disposed flat on the base plate of the caliper gauge with the top surface of the core up so that the center of the foot portion is on the indicated measuring point when the contact foot portion of the caliper gauge is raised and lowered.

The foot portion is gently lowered and released into the article (reliably calibrated to "0" before the start of measurement). The caliper value is read to the nearest 0.01 mm after 10 seconds from release of the foot portion.

The procedure is repeated for each measurement point. If there is a fold at the measuring point, the measurement is carried out in the area closest to this point but without any folds. Ten items for a given product are measured in this manner, and the average caliper is calculated and reported with an accuracy of 1/10 mm.

Absorbent goods caliper test

The absorbent article caliper test can be performed as for a dry absorbent core caliper test, with the difference that the caliper of the finished absorbent article is measured instead of the core caliper. The measurement point may be the intersection of the longitudinal axis 80 of the absorbent article and the transverse axis 90. If the absorbent article is folded and / or packaged, the article to be measured is unfolded and / or removed from the central area of the package. If the package contains more than four items, the two outermost items on each side of the package are not used for testing. If the package contains more than four but less than fourteen items, more than one package of the article is required to complete the test. If the package contains more than 14 items, only one package of the item is required to perform the test. If the package contains no more than four items, all of the items in the package are measured, and multiple packages are required to perform the measurements. The caliper readout should take place 24 ± 1 hours after the article is removed from the package and unfolded and conditioned. The physical manipulation of the product should be minimized and limited to those required for sample preparation.

Any resilient component of the article that prevents the article from lying flat below the caliper foot portion is cut or removed. These may include a leg cuff or waistband. The panty article is opened or cut along a side seam as needed. Apply enough tension to flatten any folds / wrinkles. Care is taken to avoid touching and / or compressing the measuring area.

Channel demineralization test

The test is performed on the absorbent core to determine the behavior of the core wrap joints as applied to the excess saline fluid as a function of time. The test is preferably performed on an isolated absorbent core before the absorbent core is embedded in the finished article. The absorbent core can also be extracted from the finished absorbent article. In such cases, a freeze-spray can be used to facilitate removal of the absorbent core, if desired. Care is taken to prevent damage to the core, such as tearing of the core-wrapping layer. Any cuff, fastener, topsheet, backsheet or absorbent layer above and / or below the absorbent core is discarded.

Typically a core wrap abutment area 27 following and adjacent to the region (s) substantially absorptive material free is displayed on the body-facing surface of the core wrap with a permanent felt-tipped marker, The curve length is measured. When the joint is intermittent, the total length that runs across the gap between the joints is indicated. The absorbent core is disposed in a suitable bottom flat container with the body-facing surface facing upwards. The container is large enough to allow the core to lie completely flat and about 6 cm deep. The vessel with the absorbent core is placed in an incubator or other suitable temperature-controlled chamber at 37 占 0.5 占 and is allowed to reach thermal equilibrium. A 0.90 wt% sodium chloride solution is prepared by dissolving an appropriate amount of pure sodium chloride in distilled water, and the solution is heated to 37 캜. The heated solution is quickly added to the vessel to a depth of about 4 cm, and the timer starts when the fluid is added. When fluid is added, the vessel is immediately covered with a cling film (e.g., Saran Wrap (R)) to prevent excessive evaporation from the vessel, and the system is maintained at 37 ± 0.5 ° C.

The absorbent core is observed through the cling lap at 5 minute intervals without disturbing the system and the degree of delamination of any channel is recorded with the elapsed time. The degree of delamination is the total length of any portion or portions of channels or channels where the top surface of the core wrap is no longer attached to the bottom surface of the core wrap in the channel region. The fractional delamination length is the total delaminated channel length divided by the total initial channel length before fluid addition. Percent delaminated channel length is the fractional delta channel length multiplied by 100.

Experiment

Absorbent core Example 1:

The absorbent core tested in this example was similar to the core illustrated in Fig. The core contained SAP as absorbent material without cellulose fibers. The core wrap comprised two substrates forming the top and bottom surfaces of the core, the top substrate forming a C-lap along the longitudinal edge of the core, and the front and rear edges of the core being flat attached. The core contained two curved regions without absorbent material. These areas were symmetric about the longitudinal axis 80 'and had a projection length on the longitudinal axis of about 227 mm, a width of about 8 mm and a shortest distance from each other of 20 mm. The core wrap was also attached to itself through substantially the entire length of the region 26.

The absorbent core included a total of 13.5 g SAP (e.g., Nippon Shokubai, CA L598) applied to the deposition zone with a length of 360 mm and a width of 110 mm (rectangular profile). SAP was distributed so that its basis weight was higher in the crotch region and lower toward the posterior region than in the anterior region. SAP was not profiled in the transverse direction (except for "width-direction" or "CD", of course, except for regions of channels that lack absorptive material). The absorbent core was formed by SAP printing technique, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2010 / 0051166A1, which combines two nonwoven substrates, each supporting a SAP layer. The channels were formed using suitable printing drums to delimit channel shapes, and further information on how to form channels can be found in European Application No. EP12174117.7 using print SAP technology.

A secondary adhesive (e. G., A puller, HL 1358LO F ZP) was applied on the top substrate 16 prior to application of the SAP layer and was applied between the slots along the entire length of the core wrap (390 mm) Slot coating was done with 41 slots of 1 mm width at a distance of 1 mm.

Each SAP layer had a microfibre elastic adhesive (Fuller 1151) applied on top of it to immobilize the SAP layer on the substrate. 0.211 g and 0.168 g of fine fiber glue (from HI Non-Fuller) were applied on top and bottom SAP layers, respectively, and the application area had a width of 110 mm and a length of 390 mm on each SAP layer.

The core wrap had a length of 390 mm, with two end flaps without absorbent material, having a length of 15 mm at the back and front edges of the absorbent core. The front and rear end seals of the core were slot bonded together and the adhesive slot had a length of 30 mm from the front end seal and 20 mm from the rear end seal. The folded width of the core wrap was 120 mm.

The upper substrate 16 was a SMMS nonwoven fabric treated with 10 gsm of hydrophilicity and the lower substrate 16 'was a 10 gsm SMMS nonwoven fabric. The upper substrate was cut to a length of 390 mm and a cutting width of 165 mm. The lower substrate had a cut length of 390 mm and a cut width of 130 mm. The upper substrate was C-wrapped around the lower substrate on the lateral edge of the core and the lateral edges of the lower layer were formed slightly upward on the edge of the absorbent material of the core such that the overall width of the folded core wrap was about 120 mm. The C-lap was permanently formed by applying an adhesive applied at 20 gsm between the substrates of the folded core, applied as a slot having a slot width of 4 mm and a length of 390 mm on each side of the core.

Two substrates were further attached together via the channels. The joints were formed by applying pressure and ancillary and fine fiber adhesives.

Example 2 of the present invention

The cores tested in this example were similar to those of Example 1, except that the secondary adhesives used were, Fuller's NW1286 F ZP.

Test result

For each absorbent core described above, two specimens (X and Y) were tested according to channel demineralization test to determine the percentage of corrugated joints that were demineralized (in 5 minute increments) as a function of time. The amount of opening was reported as follows:

When less than 1/3 of the initial length of the A core wrap joint is delaminated;

When 1/3 to 2/3 of the initial length of the B core wrap joint is delaminated;

When more than two-thirds of the initial length of the C-core wrap joint is delaminated.

As can be seen, changing the properties of the adhesive used provides a core wrap joint that is less or more rapidly demineralized. In general, increasing the amount of adhesive and / or using a stronger adhesive will provide a stronger core wrap joint. Any of the illustrated absorbent cores may be used in the absorbent core of the present invention.

Other

It is to be understood that the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not strictly limited to the exact numerical values listed. Instead, unless stated otherwise, each such dimension is intended to mean both an enumerated value and a functionally equivalent range near that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm ".

Claims (15)

An absorbent article (20) for personal hygiene,
Liquid permeable topsheet 24,
A liquid impermeable backsheet 25,
An absorbent core (28) between the topsheet and backsheet, the absorbent core comprising a core wrap (20) encapsulating an absorbent material (60) comprising a superabsorbent polymer Said absorbent core comprising:
The core wrap includes a top surface 16 and a bottom surface 16 '
Wherein the absorbent core comprises at least one region (s) (26) substantially free of absorbent material, and wherein at least one region (s) over which the substantially absorbent material is absent, Wherein the core wrap forms one or more channel (s) (26 ') along the region (26) substantially absorptive material free when the absorbent material is swollen, Wherein the fibrous layer is at least partially bonded to an upper surface or a lower surface of the core wrap in the substantially absorptive material free region (s) (26), the absorbent material The formation of the channel (s) 26 'in the absorbent core as a result of swelling causes the formation of one or more corresponding ditches 29 in the fibrous layer
Absorbent article. The method according to claim 1,
The fibrous layer 54 is between the topsheet and the absorbent core and the fibrous layer is at least partially bonded to the top surface of the core wrap in the substantially absorbent material free region
Absorbent article. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The absorbent material comprises at least 50%, in particular at least 80%, and at most 100% SAP, based on the weight of the absorbent material, and preferably the absorbent core comprises from 5 g to 60 g SAP, g SAP
Absorbent article. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The absorbent core comprises at least a pair of regions 26 that are substantially free of absorbent material, and preferably these regions are disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis 80
Absorbent article. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
At least one region of the substantially absorptive material-free region (s) 26 has a length projected on the longitudinal axis 80 of the article, which is at least 10% of the length L of the absorbent article
Absorbent article. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The at least one region (s) (26) without the substantially absorbent material has a width (Wc) at least at a portion of the channel of at least 2 mm, preferably between 4 mm and 14 mm
Absorbent article. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The core wrap includes a first nonwoven fabric substantially forming a top surface (16) of the core wrap and a second nonwoven fabric substantially forming a bottom surface (16 ') of the core wrap, The nonwoven fabric forms a C-wrap around the second nonwoven fabric
Absorbent article. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The fibrous layer (54) comprises at least 50% by weight of cross-linked cellulosic fibers
Absorbent article. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The topsheet is attached directly or indirectly to the fibrous layer 54 in the region of the one or more channel (s) 29
Absorbent article. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Wherein a peripheral portion of the absorbent material in the core wrap defines an absorbent material deposition area 8 and the absorbent material deposition area is rectangular or has a crotch point &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; C, the crotch point being defined as a point located on the longitudinal axis 80 at a distance of 2/5 of L from the front edge 10 of the absorbent article
Absorbent article. 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Wherein the absorbent core comprises a first absorbent layer and a second absorbent layer, the first absorbent layer comprising a first substrate (16) and a first layer (61) of superabsorbent polymer, the second absorbent layer A second layer of superabsorbent polymer (62), wherein a fibrous thermoplastic adhesive material (51) at least partially bonds each layer of superabsorbent polymer to their respective substrate, The first base material and the second base material form the core wrap
Absorbent article. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The absorbent core may comprise up to about 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% or less of absorbent material according to the wet immobilization test described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0051166A1 Have a loss
Absorbent article. 13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A further layer 52 is provided between the topsheet 24 and the fibrous layer 54 and the additional layer may be an acquisition layer, Attached to the additional layer in at least one attachment region (68) that at least partially overlaps the region (s) (26) absent the absorbent material
Absorbent article. 14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The core wrap joint 27 forming the channel 26 'of the absorbent core is opened in a controlled manner during use so that the absorbent core can be removed from the absorbent core in accordance with the channel delamination dunk test described herein 37 When immersed in 0.9 wt% saline at &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt;
Less than 1/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 10 minutes;
- 1/3 to 2/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 20 minutes;
- at least two thirds of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 60 minutes
Absorbent article. An absorbent core (28) comprising a core wrap enclosing an absorbent material (60), the absorbent material comprising an absorbent polymer, the core wrap including a top surface (16) and a bottom surface (16 ' Wherein the absorbent core comprises at least one region (s) (26) substantially free of absorbent material, and wherein at least one region (s) over which the absorbent material is substantially absent comprises an upper surface of the core wrap (S) (26 ') along the region (26) which is substantially absorptive material-free when the absorbent material is swollen, such that the core wrap is attached to the bottom surface of the core wrap In the absorbent core 28,
The core wrap joint 27 forming the channel 26 'of the absorbent core is opened in a controlled manner during use so that the absorbent core is exposed to 0.9 wt% When immersed in saline solution:
Less than 1/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 10 minutes;
- 1/3 to 2/3 of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 20 minutes;
- at least two thirds of the initial length of the core wrap joint is delaminated in 60 minutes
Absorbent core.

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